“Nick is the star of our second season,” she said proudly. It was no longer a secret and had been announced, so she could tell them.
They had fun at the dinner party, and stayed long enough to kiss at midnight, and then they went home so they could be together and make love peacefully. They were leaving for Wyoming the next day, and Kait was excited about it. She loved the life they were starting together. They were going to spend a night with Stephanie and Frank in San Francisco after Aspen, and the weekend in Dallas with Tom, Maribeth, and the girls, while the rest of the cast could do other projects if they wanted to. And then they’d be back at work on the show. Kait hoped it would continue to be a hit and the ratings would go through the roof next season, more than ever with Nick on it.
And whenever they got a break, she would go to Wyoming with him. That was the plan, although what happened in real life was often different.
Kait called Maeve and Agnes before they left her apartment. She promised to call from Wyoming, and then they drove to the airport in New Jersey where he’d left his plane. They took off half an hour later, settled into the comfortable seats, with Nick relaxed in his cowboy clothes, looking fatally handsome. It was still hard for her to believe that she was part of his life now. And she could see everything he felt for her in his eyes. She was wearing the cowboy boots he’d given her for Christmas.
She was in a whole different world now. The past had drifted behind her like scenery, and everything around her had changed. It was a new chapter and a whole new life. Kait thought about how lucky she was. Everything that had happened was so different from what she’d expected, and so much better than she had ever imagined. She wondered if her grandmother had felt that way.
As she thought about it, she took a pack of her grandmother’s 4 Kids cookies out of her purse. She always traveled with them. She handed one to Nick, and he looked at her and smiled. They both knew that Constance Whittier had taught her that life was exciting and you had to face its challenges and opportunities every day. You couldn’t hide from them, and Kait didn’t want to. She wanted to experience it all, with Nick and on her own. It was what brave women did. They embraced life.
She gave him another cookie, and he kissed her. Their life together was going to be an adventure, and they were ready for it. The plane took off a few minutes later, and gained altitude quickly, as they circled over the airport and headed west. She smiled, remembering that a year before she’d begun writing the show that would change her life.
To my much loved, wonderful children, Beatie, Trevor, Todd, Nick, Samantha, Victoria, Vanessa, Maxx, and Zara,
May your lives be full of new adventures, new chapters, new beginnings, with each chapter better than the last.
May you give each other strength, remember the good times, and may you embrace life!
I love you with all my heart and soul,
Mom/d.s.
By Danielle Steel
THE CAST • ACCIDENTAL HEROES • FALL FROM GRACE • PAST PERFECT • FAIRYTALE· • THE RIGHT TIME • THE DUCHESS • AGAINST ALL ODDS • DANGEROUS GAMES • THE MISTRESS • THE AWARD • RUSHING WATERS • MAGIC • THE APARTMENT • PROPERTY OF A NOBLEWOMAN • BLUE • PRECIOUS GIFTS • UNDERCOVER • COUNTRY • PRODIGAL SON • PEGASUS • A PERFECT LIFE • POWER PLAY • WINNERS • FIRST SIGHT • UNTIL THE END OF TIME • THE SINS OF THE MOTHER • FRIENDS FOREVER • BETRAYAL • HOTEL VENDÔME • HAPPY BIRTHDAY • 44 CHARLES STREET • LEGACY • FAMILY TIES • BIG GIRL • SOUTHERN LIGHTS • MATTERS OF THE HEART • ONE DAY AT A TIME • A GOOD WOMAN • ROGUE • HONOR THYSELF • AMAZING GRACE • BUNGALOW 2 • SISTERS • H.R.H. • COMING OUT • THE HOUSE • TOXIC BACHELORS • MIRACLE • IMPOSSIBLE • ECHOES • SECOND CHANCE • RANSOM • SAFE HARBOUR • JOHNNY ANGEL • DATING GAME • ANSWERED PRAYERS • SUNSET IN ST. TROPEZ • THE COTTAGE • THE KISS • LEAP OF FAITH • LONE EAGLE • JOURNEY • THE HOUSE ON HOPE STREET • THE WEDDING • IRRESISTIBLE FORCES • GRANNY DAN • BITTERSWEET • MIRROR IMAGE • THE KLONE AND I • THE LONG ROAD HOME • THE GHOST • SPECIAL DELIVERY • THE RANCH • SILENT HONOR • MALICE • FIVE DAYS IN PARIS • LIGHTNING • WINGS • THE GIFT • ACCIDENT • VANISHED • MIXED BLESSINGS • JEWELS • NO GREATER LOVE • HEARTBEAT • MESSAGE FROM NAM • DADDY • STAR • ZOYA • KALEIDOSCOPE • FINE THINGS • WANDERLUST • SECRETS • FAMILY ALBUM • FULL CIRCLE • CHANGES • THURSTON HOUSE • CROSSINGS • ONCE IN A LIFETIME • A PERFECT STRANGER • REMEMBRANCE • PALOMINO • LOVE: POEMS • THE RING • LOVING • TO LOVE AGAIN • SUMMER’S END • SEASON OF PASSION • THE PROMISE • NOW AND FOREVER • PASSION’S PROMISE • GOING HOME
Nonfiction
PURE JOY: The Dogs We Love
A GIFT OF HOPE: Helping the Homeless
HIS BRIGHT LIGHT: The Story of Nick Traina
For Children
PRETTY MINNIE IN PARIS
PRETTY MINNIE IN HOLLYWOOD
About the Author
DANIELLE STEEL has been hailed as one of the world’s most popular authors, with over 650 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include Accidental Heroes, Fall from Grace, Past Perfect, Fairytale, The Right Time, The Duchess, Against All Odds, Dangerous Games, The Mistress, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children’s books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.
daniellesteel.com
Facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial
@daniellesteel
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